![]() Some cats compensate for the loss in digestive function by eating more and, therefore, exhibit no weight loss. ![]() In some cases, this intestinal dysfunction may overlap with what is loosely classified as (idiopathic) IBD. The cause or causes of this decline in nutrient digestibility remain unknown but presumably reflect enteropathy of some type. ![]() Proc Nestle-Purina Compan Anim Nutr Summit, Focus Gastroenterol 2010:55-61. Addressing age-related changes in feline digestion. Incidence of Feline Obesity and Underweight by Age* Overall, while obesity tends to be the predominant body-mass concern in cats between 7 and 12 years of age, in those older than 12 years, obesity is rare and being underweight is a far greater life-threatening risk factor ( Table 1 and Figure 6).3 After 12 years of age, there is marked decline in body weight among cats, which supplants obesity as a common life-threatening condition.It is perhaps not surprising that these changes were correlated with several other measures of health or well-being, including serum vitamin E (tocopherol), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), skin thickness, body fat, and body condition score. Despite thorough investigation, however, the underlying cause of even severe weight loss can be remarkably difficult to establish conclusively.įigure 6. At times, selected additional testing of parameters such as serum thyroxine, serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity, cobalamin and folate, dental radiography ( Figures 1A & 1B), or gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and biopsy may be necessary. Most are readily suspected and confirmed based on physical examination and routine laboratory testing. Well-recognized causes of weight loss in old cats include chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and dental problems. In this article, I will review what is known about common age-related changes and what may be done to halt or reverse the decline in body weight that is apparently a predictable prelude to death.3,4,6 As cats live increasingly longer lives and receive attentive health care, this weight loss is more frequently recognized. Whatever the explanation for weight loss and decline in nutrient digestibility in older cats, progressive decline in body weight has been reported in the two years before death from a variety of seemingly unrelated diseases. Methods for such testing are rarely available for evaluation of veterinary patients, even at referral centers. While the cause of the decreases remains unclear, the changes are quite marked in some individuals and in particular can be dramatic with regard to fat digestibility.4,5 Often these changes are not readily apparent from casual observation of feces and may only be verified if fecal fat content is quantified by appropriate analytic testing. ![]() It has been recognized for many years that both protein and fat digestibility decrease in many apparently normal cats after 10 years of age. Indeed, the maintenance energy requirement of older cats may increase rather than decrease.3,4 Although cats might be expected to regulate their energy intake to compensate for these changes to maintain body weight, that clearly is not always the case.4,5 Decline in body weight is common in cats that are older than 11 years.1 Sometimes this loss is readily attributable to apparent disease, but in many cases, there are no obvious signs of illness and routine diagnostic approaches fail to reveal evidence of an underlying problem.2,3 Energy requirements of older cats apparently do not decline as markedly as they do in dogs and people, perhaps because physical activity does not decrease as much with age in cats.
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